Hebron's First Israeli Police Station Inaugurated

Minister of Strategic Affairs Gilad Erdan visited Hebron on Wednesday June 20, 2018 for the inauguration of Hebron's first Israeli police station. Attending the ceremony was Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh, and elected officials from the municipalities of Hebron, Kiryat Arba and the Mount Hebron Regional Council.

The police station will service Israelis living in the region which comprise approximately 30,000 residents.

Hebron has been under Israeli jurisdiction since 1967, but the growing population has never benefited from a permanent structure until now.

As the participants stood at the foot of the historic Tomb of Machpela complex, burial site of the Biblical Matriarchs and Patriarchs, Minister Erdan stated that the police "will continue to provide security to the residents of the region, who are experiencing a complex reality. They stand and are courageously in building and strengthening our country."

"In the hills around us where our forefathers once lived, the most natural and obvious thing is happening today - the dedication of a permanent police presence that includes the entire range of police services to the public. It is clear to all that where there is a strong police presence, there is tranquility, law, and sovereignty," Erdan said.

He added that a failed terrorist attempt took place that day, in which a firebomb exploded near security guards. No injuries were reported.

About 700,000 visitors come to Hebron every year in addition to the local community. The sense of law and order benefits not only the Israeli residents and tourists, but also the residents of the PA.